Altaro Javan
'Altaro Javan '(ca. RM 465 - ?) was the first and to date only Halyr, the founder of the Javani Roshate, Emperor of Nahar, and one of the most accomplished generals in history. Birth and Early Life The origins of Altaro Javan have been obscured by the legends that have gathered around the man in the centuries since he lived. It seems, however, that even at the time little was known of his birth: the man himself spoke only sparingly of his youth, and often contradicted himself. It has even been suggested that the name was an invention. Of his life prior to the War of the Ashen Throne, nothing can be said with certainty; all that seems clear is that he was born to parents of no particular note in northern Gallat around 465. Early Military Career Javan emerges into the light of history with the destruction of the army of the League of Gallasa at the Battle of Sundown Moors. Prior to Sundown Moors he was apparently a soldier of no particular import, but with the loss of so many of the League's officers he rose to the rank of Captain and came to command a company during the long retreat to Gallasa. He apparently was among the members of a loose group of soldiers who took it upon themselves to hold what remained of the army together during the panicked retreat from Hallandata. He was then present at the Immolation, one of the very few survivors of the Aitahist destruction of Gallasa, and apparently personally witnessed the burning of the High Ward. This was a turning point for Javan, as for so many others. Conspiracy and Coup Upon escaping Gallasa and making his way back to the remnants of the Gallatene army, engaged in desultory preparations for the defense of Sirasona, Javan became the focal point of a conspiracy aimed at ejecting the feckless oligarchs who had brough disaster to Gallat. Exaggerated rumours of his exploits were already spreading, even at this early stage, and he quickly secured the support of much of the army, as well as reformist elements within the Maninist church led by Risadri. As the Aitahist armies approached Kollada in early 489, the conspirators made their move and forced the panicking oligarchs of the League to appoint Javan to absolute overall command of the League. The Halyrate on the Brink In 493, following the repulse of the Aitahist crusaders by a combination of reinvigorated Gallatene forces and a vast Karapeshai expeditionary force, Javan was acclaimed as Halyr by his soldiers amidst the ruins of Gallasa. Although the League structures would remain for a few more years this is typically taken as the establishment of the Halyrate of Gallat, as from that point onwards Javan and his cabal of friends and allies were clearly holding all the levers of power. The war continued, but a protracted stalemate ensued on all fronts: the feckless Fulwarc III proved incapable of pressing the advantage against Brunn bequeathed him by Taexi, and neither Javan nor Qasaarai were anxious to advance into the wasteland the Aitahists had made of the Gallatene interior. Fighting the superior forces of the Dual Empire to a draw was clearly a strategic victory for the Gallatenes, but Qasaarai's continued refusal to negotiate peace meant the war dragged on regardless. Triumph Following the failure of his attempt to destroy the Aitahist army at Jedim, Javan resolved that drastic measures were necessary to change the situation. Leaving Araldi Nuvor, his closest friend (and rumoured lover) in command of the military and political situation in Gallat, Javan took the better part of the army and marched north, launching the campaign that would make him a legend. Over the course of the next decade Javan's Peregrination brought Brunn at last to its knees and utterly destroyed the Dual Empire. When he returned in triumph to Sirasona in 511, Javan was the master of nearly half of Athis. Consolidation The next decade was spent in organizing the new conquests, suppressing the Imperial remnants, and dealing with the diplomatic repercussions caused by the sudden up-ending of the Athisian balance of power. A protracted diplomatic standoff with the Farubaida over Astria consumed much of the external attention, while domestically Javan resurrected the Nahari Empire with himself as Emperor, established the Javani Roshate in the eastern Peko, and commenced the intensive reconstruction effort known as the Restoration. Disappearance In RM 520, just as many commentators expected he would shortly lead Gallat on to fresh conquests, Altaro Javan vanished under circumstances that are as mysterious today as they were three hundred years ago. One night he was resident in the Imperial Palace of Nahar, and the next he was gone, nowhere to be found. On the same day Araldi Nuvor, the High Ward Risadri, and Gabas, Javan's oldest colleagues, likewise disappeared. Speculation as to their fate has run rampant ever since, with theories ranging from their ascent to Terminus to their murder by jealous Imperial loyalists. The only possible clue left behind was Javan's Testament, copies of which were found in his chambers and sent to the worthies of the empire Category:People Category:Gallat